Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Witching Hour

     I noticed that in my last few posts, I have been blogging about family ghost stories. Since this is my last one, I decided to do it on one of my mom's experiences. She was a non-believer, but this was the story that changed her life.
     My mom lived in Nuevo Leon as a young girl. She lived near the woods and she would often go get wood for fires on her own. Her parents warned her not to go too far late at night because supernatural things happen most at that time. When my mom heard this, she wanted to show how courageous she was.
     When it was midnight, she dared herself to walk for 15 whole minutes into the deep parts of the woods, alone. The first five minutes, nothing happened. Only the occasional branch moving and animal sounds seem to be the only thing to spook her. After ten minutes, she decided that everything her parents were saying was not true. In the last five minutes, she became to grow tired.
     On her way back home, she decided to take a different route to a river so she could drink water. When she got closer, she could see women around the age of 25 going into the water. She saw her get a rock and start to hit her own knees. My mom yelled for her to stop. The lady turned around to see her, paused, and quickly disappeared.

Mommy, I see ghosts...

     I have always heard that children have a special connection with the supernatural. Since they are completely innocent, they can see what most of us can't. Some think it's a curse, others think it is a gift, but most think that it is creepy! I thought it was something pretty cool, so when my nephew was 3 years old, I would follow him to see if he stares at something.
     Sadly, nothing out of the ordinary happened. I finally gave up, but I should have never pursued it in the first place. My nephew may have not have seen a ghost, but someone I least expected to did. This was all when I was 12 years of age, and since then, I tend not to be next to any kids for a long period of time.
     I was at my aunt's house one day, and I was helping her take care of her 4 year old daughter. When I was playing with her outside, she kept staring at me. She looked confused and then began to laugh. I thought she was laughing at me, but I soon noticed her eyes following something else. No one else was there except for me.
     I asked her what was so funny. She said that the little boy was making her laugh. I instantly froze and refused to look. When we went inside, I told my aunt what happened and asked if it was just an imaginary friend. She told me that the owners before her had a small boy who had died.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

La Lechuza

     Every time I am outside, I remember not to whistle. If I whistle late at night, I would get snatched. This piece of information has been engraved to my brain by my mother. Since I was a little girl, my mother would warn me about a creature that makes noises late at night, and if you whistle back, it will take you and kill you. I make sure to keep my mouth shut to prevent "La Lechuza" from taking me.
     La Lechuza is a creature that is very well known in Mexico and in Texas. There are different stories of how La Lechuza came to be, but the most common one takes place in Mexico. She was killed by the men in her town who feared she was a witch. Soon after her death, a large owl would start appearing at night snatching the men who killed her.
     My mom told me a story of her own about La Lechuza. In a small town in Mexico, there were two cops who were surveilling the town near the woods. They heard strange noises coming from a tree near them. One cop went to go see what it was, but he stopped hearing the strange noises, so he whistled to get a response. He started walking away, when suddenly a huge owl flew over him. He fell and shot the owl on her right wing and it flew away.
     The next day, the cop was driving around town. He soon stopped when he noticed a young beautiful lady heading to the woods. As he looked closely, he saw she had a white band, stained with blood on her right arm. Frightened that she would see him, he drove away and never dared to go near the woods again.
      If you're out late at night, and you happen to hear a noise coming from nowhere. Whatever you do, don't whistle back.
   
   

Sunday, November 17, 2013

"Ay, mis hijos!"

     "Don't stay outside for too long, or she will get you," is what my mom would say. One way for my mom to keep me from staying out too late, was to tell me that La Llorona will think I was one of her children. She would tell me that she will take me with her to the nearby lake and drown me to keep me forever.
     From what I've heard, the story took place in Mexico. There was a poor women named Maria, who had two or three children. She wanted to be with a man, but he would not commit to her because of her children. She was so in love with him, that she drowned her children to be with him.
     Once she told him that she could now be with him, he rejected her for another woman. She became crazy over the loss of her children, that she drowned herself to get rid of the pain. They say that before the gates of heaven, they asked her where her children were. Without her children, she may not enter heaven. She is said to wonder late at night, asking for her children.
     That is why many parents warn their children about her. If you do not obey your parents, La Llorona will find you and take you with her.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Devil's Lagoon

     I've always known about haunted houses, schools, and other haunted roads. The one thing that I did not know could be haunted were bodies of water. When I heard of a haunted lagoon, I was shocked.
     Devil's Lagoon is located at San Perlita, Texas. It is said that a young couple was going to get married, but were late for their own wedding. They got on a stagecoach with an unknown handler that told them he had a shortcut to the chapel. They were moving at a fast speed and did not notice that the stagecoach was going the wrong way until, they reached a bridge. Once on the bridge, the couple knew they were not making it to their wedding because the bridge collapsed. Trapped in the stagecoach, they got a look at the handler. It is said that they saw a demon face. They hugged and promised each other eternal love before they drowned.
      A famous story is that in the 1960's, a group of high school football players went to the Devil's Lagoon as an act of courage. At midnight, they swore to have seen two figures coming out of the lagoon screaming for help, as a stagecoach comes out as well. They said you can also hear the handler whip the horse as it heads towards them.
   

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Old Insane Asylum

     After watching a great deal of scary movies for Halloween, I noticed that being stuck in an asylum is the worst thing that could happen. All the screaming and fighting will definitely cause souls to stay trapped. In Wichita Falls, Tx, there is the White Sanitarium, which is famous for ghost sightings.
     It opened in 1926 as a drug and alcohol abuse treatment center. It is said that some of the medical procedures done on the patients lead to their deaths. Sometime in the 1950's, it was abandoned due to severe floods and remained empty for more than a decade until, 2002. A man named Gilbert Rios, bought the asylum to one day turn it into an apartment complex.
     This is a place where many local people heard of different stories, yet, many of them have seen similar apparitions. By the recreational room, ghosts are seen around a table playing cards, just how they used to when the asylum was opened. If you look at one of the windows, you may catch a glimpse of a women in white watching you.
     Wichita Falls has so many haunted sights that are filled with history, but this one is known to be a place where you can catch more than enough activity. All the screams from the people who died from medical procedures, may drive you crazy.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

The Blood Countess (Halloween Special)

     We all want to be youthful for eternity. One single strand of gray hair ,and we begin to freak out. Nowadays, women and men use plastic surgery to regain their youthful skin, but many have gone through different drastic measures.
     Elizabeth Bathory, was known to be a beautiful countess. As she begin to age, she struggled with accepting her new image. The wrinkles began to make her restless. It is said that  she struck a young servant girl in the face for pulling her hair while combing it. She got some blood on her face, and stared at it in the mirror. When she cleaned it, she noticed that her skin looked somewhat youthful.
     She began to hire young women to do house cleaning and cooking. At first, no one suspected anything, but later, the nearby town noticed something was wrong. Many of the young girls never came back home. People who saw the countess, noticed that she looked younger.
     The townspeople begin spreading rumors about the Blood Countess. It was thought that she would drink the blood of the girls after she finished torturing them. The most famous part of the story, is that she would drain the blood from her victims and bathe in it. She would use the blood as a face mask ,as well. The Blood Countess killed more than 100 young women to keep her youth. It is said that her soul still lingers, and that any young lady wondering alone late at night, would become her victim.
   

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Sultan's Palace

     New Orleans is the place I have always wanted to visit. It has so much history, beautiful architectural work, and best of all, haunted spots. I plan on visiting New Orleans in the near future, and I want to make sure that I know all the ghost stories the people talk about. One of the best known haunted places there is Sultan's Palace.
     This four story home is located in the French Quarter. It is more than a 100 years old, and it is filled with a dark history. It was owned by a Creole businessman, who started losing all his money towards the end of the Civil War. He had to rent out his winter home in order for him not to go broke. A man from Turkey named Prince Suleyman, who declared himself a sultan, rented the home.
     Upon arrival, he had many women, body-guards, and slaves enter his palace with him. Long curtains were placed on each window, heavy locks were placed on every door, and the smell of incense was immediately known to come from his palace. It is said that his harem not only included women, but young boys as well. He held many orges late at night, and loud music could be heard everywhere. Many rumored that he would kidnap women, girls, and boys.
     In the morning, after a late night party, it was odd for his palace to be so calm. There was blood oozing out of the door, and the police found a blood bath inside. Everyone who was in the building was cut into pieces, except for the sultan. His throat had been cut open, but was still alive when he was buried. His hand was sticking out of the ground when the cops found him.They say Suleyman had stolen riches from his brother and was found and killed for his crime.
      It is said that music can be heard from his palace late at night accompanied by laughter and screams. Many who have been inside see a fair-hair man walking and quickly disappearing. The smell of incense lingers every now and then. People believe that the sultan is still hosting his parties late at night.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Moundsville West Virginia Penitentiary

     I was thinking about prisons and how they must be the most haunted places we can encounter. Prisons have had many inmates who were killed, tortured, or just died of old age. I decided to do some research on one of the most haunted prisons in the United States. I came upon a penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia, which is claimed to be the most haunted one of all.
     The penitentiary opened in 1876 and was soon overcrowded by inmates. They had extremely small cells that were 5 by 7, and they were considered to be cruel and unusual punishment, so the prison closed in 1995. Even though the prison is closed, the stories of the murders, rapes, and tortures continue to be told. 
     There was a snitch in the prison who was attacked by three men. His throat was cut open, and his entire body was cut into pieces. His ghost is said to be lurking in the boiler room, where he was killed. There was around 86 men who were hung, about 10 were executed by electrocution, and more than 100 deaths were unrecorded. Many inmates were tortured to the point where their bodies gave out and were close to dying.
     There are claims that you can hear disembodied voices, noises in the cells, and see a well known "shadow man". Most paranormal activity takes place in the "Sugar Shack", where the inmates would gamble, murder, rape, and fight. Since many prisoners were buried in the land, you may also be able to see more activity in the cemetery. This place delivers when it comes to showing you how much the souls of the prisoners can interact with the living.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Stewart Mansion

     I have heard of a place in Galveston, Tx that involved hauntings of Indians and Pirates. It was all caused by a battle that involved a daughter of an Indian tribe chief. Then, some man built a mansion on part of the land. I wanted to know the actual story, so I did some research.
     It is said, that a cannibalistic tribe called the Karankawas and a pirate named Jean Lafitte, went into battle. Jean Lafitte and his fellow pirates, stole the daughter of the Karankawa's Chief. The Karankawa tribe sent more than a hundred men to kill the pirates, but only had bows and arrows. The pirates killed most of the Indians in three days, which is known as the Battle of the Three Trees on 1821.
     A mansion was built in 1926 on part of the land that the battle took place by George Sealey, who was a famous industrialist. Later on in 1944, Maco Stewart bought the mansion. Stewart Mansion is known to have different pieces of Spanish Conquest and pirate art drawn on the walls and tiles.
     Many people who are interested in the haunted aspect of this mansion, say that there is plenty of paranormal activity that occurs late at night. There are claims that involve apparitions of Indians and Pirates at midnight. Others go inside the mansion and hear voices and footsteps that come and go. There are a few that claim to see what appears to be the daughter of the Karankawa's chief. This is definitely a place I would love to visit, but I only have enough courage to go in the day time.



Sunday, September 22, 2013

Demons

     Whenever I hear stories of haunted places, the storyteller makes the ghost seem as an evil entity. Ghosts only want to attain attention from the person they need help from. They may move objects, but only to make their presence clear. A demon has much more planned.
     Demons plan to possess humans and drive them to their deaths. According to demonology, demons do this by the five most common stages: encroachment, infestation, oppression, possession, and death. Many of the times that demons enter someones life is simply by playing with the Ouija board. There are many ways that a demon may enter someone's life, but it is not worth being too curious.
     Knowing that there is a demon present, is not too hard. Demons are driven by hatred and God. They usually do their work in threes. They will knock three times and by doing that, they insult God. In movies, most demon attacks take place at 3 a.m. because that is a greater insult to God. 
     They pick on the weakest person in the household, or the one that is there most of the time. They might start by scaring that person to trigger fear, which they feed on. They believe that they are better than God, yet they still fear God. Having religious items in a household will be a good way to know if there is a demon near you because they usually try to destroy anything representing God. Demons are nasty and hateful creatures. Do not play with any sort of black magic to have a good time, because you never know what you may conjure up from the other side.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

La Lomita Mission

     When I was growing up, all I would hear the older kids say was that they were going to investigate a place called La Lomita in Mission, Tx. Throughout the years, I have continued to hear stories of paranormal activity happening in that place. Mostly everyone that knows about it believes it is haunted.
     I wanted to investigate for myself, but there was too many cops and border patrol vehicles driving around. The convent was also torn down and only the entrance was left so that people would stop trespassing. My second option was to listen to the story told by my neighbors who have been living in Mission their entire lives.
     It is said that the mission's priest raped and kept some nuns chained at the nearby convent in La Lomita. The people say that they would bury the bodies of the children in the convent's grounds. Some illegal immigrants knew what the priests were doing, so they decided to put an end to it. They went to kill the three priests and were stealing the valuables as well. One priest escaped, but he died while searching for help. 
     Since then, the curious people from nearby cities have gone late at night to see shapes of men with robes. The convent was later turned into an asylum for the mentally ill, but soon shut down because of rumors of mistreatment towards the patients. The workers would see apparitions of the priests. Many who have gone late at night, say that you can hear babies crying and chains clanking. 
     Haunted or not?
(Photo Taken By Cassandra Torres)

Sunday, September 8, 2013

The Haunted Tracks

     South of San Antonio, Texas, near San Juan Mission, you may find many cars in line near a rail-road track, awaiting their turn to be saved. They are waiting to be saved from a train by little children. All this may sound odd to you ,but it is an attraction for many people that believe that specific rail-road crossing is haunted.
     It is said that some time in the 1930's or 1940's,  there was a school bus that stopped in the middle of the tracks and was hit by a train before being able to move to safety. The bus driver and 10 children were killed in the tragic accident. Now, the tracks are the children's playground.
     The way to test the legend, is to leave your car on neutral, or the engine off, a couple of yards from the crossing. Soon, your vehicle will begin moving towards the tracks and then passed them to safety. This experiment is said to be effective everytime.When non-believers need more proof, they cover their vehicle in baby powder only to see children's handprints.
     To many, that is not enough proof, so they have tested the site to find reasons to debunk the legend. Their evidence is the track itself. They mention that the road appears to be uphill ,but that it is actually at  a declined slope, which effectively causes vehicles to move when in neutral. As with the handprints, they could simply be your own, since the powder reveals even the oldest ones. There is also no record of an accident ever taking place, so where could the restless innocent souls come from?
     Haunted or not?
       

Sunday, September 1, 2013

    Whether it is at a campfire, family night, or a movie, ghost stories are told. Ghost stories exist everywhere, and new ones are being told every night. They either disappoint us, or keep us up all night in fear. Yet, we always want more. 
    The supernatural has always been intriguing to me. All the stories that have been told to me since I was a little girl,  still continue to entertain me. When the topic comes up,  everyone has a story to share. Even the non-believers join to give their opinion. 
    Every week I will share with you information about the most  haunted places in the U.S. or certain individuals that should not be amongst us .  Their dark history will be told. Many of these places are product of murder, suicide, or fatal accidents, but the trapped souls that remain  tell their story in different ways. There are sightings, physical contact, sounds, etc.
    I will also be sharing information on supernatural terms. The differences between ghosts and demons. The devices that will help you obtain evidence. 
   The stories will be told, but you will decide to believe or not. Feel free to comment on your own experiences or why you believe they are only stories meant to scare you. If there are any stories you are interested in knowing more about, you can let me know.